It's been another crazy week in the travel industry! For Merit we have seen that the value we bring is even more important in troubled times. The world is totally turned upside down when luxury cruises are cheaper than mass market. Read more below.

Trend #1: The Value of a Travel Counsellor

Recent events have demonstrated the value of working with a personal travel consultant. We have experienced distraught customers who have booked on-line, coming in to ask our consultants what they should do to rebook their tickets to Mexico. Having someone to take care of those details is just one of many reasons to book with a travel consultant, same goes when tour operators like Conquest go under. We have people who study tour operators to pick the best ones to work with, that means you don't have to guess! You also know you're protected if anything does go wrong.
In addition we are destination experts, so we can advise you on the best places to stay in a city or when to visit to enjoy it the most. No one can know everything, but with a network of over 100 counsellors we've pretty much got the world covered.

TIP 1: Test us today! Book your free one hour personal European vacation planning session.

Trend #2: Think Luxury to Save Money

Conde Nast Traveller magazine reported this month that the price gap between luxury and mass-market cruises has never been smaller. When you take into account the fact that the high-end cruises often offer an "all-inclusive" experience where most things are included once you are on the ship, and in some cases off the ship (with free shore excursions), the luxury option can work out to be the best value. So don't just look at the advertised price, think about what the total cost of the vacation would be.

TIP: Regent Seven Seas Cruises are currently offering 2 for 1 fares, free air and unlimited shore excursions on many of their cruises. When you add these special offers to their all-inclusive beverage program including soft drinks, hot beverages and select wines and spirits served throughout the ship you have an amazingly low total price for your vacation.